The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 55, July 1951 - April, 1952 Page: 461
562 p. : ill. (some col.), ports., maps (some col.) ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Notes and Documents
has passed away-What a load seemes to have been lifted from off
my heart. And all by these same letters-these dear kind loving letters
-I dont need opium, or whiskey or chloroforme or tobacco! to make
me happy I think I see my darling little boy with his pale face-
kissing "Dear Pa" This poor paper must carry a kiss to the brave
little man and the others too-to all-all alike-
I will try not to be uneasy again about you all-but indeed I could
not help it-perhaps I ought to be ashamed of it-I am getting old I
suppose-old and silly-May be so, I shall never grow younger. I only
hope that all may keep well-You seem to have treated your case you
& the Dr energetically It [seems to have (?)] been of a congestive
type & [two words missing] readily to treatment. We have not had
a death in the Hospital since Dr I left us, though we have generally
had the house full-Has little Dudy been sick yet? I think you said
Liz has been sick-But they are such sensible little girls-will take
medicine so well that I shall not be uneasy about them-I am not so
easy about Neddie-he dont like to take Medicine at all-and then
he seems more delicate than the rest-I am afraid his trip to Anderson
was almost too soon after his getting up-I hope he may not suffer
from it. I would not send him yet awhile to Hempstead-You need
not be ever uneasy about my health-I shall never die of the Fever-
My health was never [better] than it is now-But I must say a word
or two of business-or you will consider me selfish.
In the first place. I will send you what money I have, (after reserving
what I need.) Which is about 400 in Confed. & 18.50 in silver-I got
lo$ to day in silver for a Med. Bill & had o0. before out of which I
spent 1.50 for Potatoes. I have not drawn any since I got back (ex-
cept commutation for one month) and dont intend unless you need
it until the New Issues comes on. Capt Lee got me a suit of clothes
8Pye refers here to the new issue of Confederate money resulting from "An Act
to reduce the currency and to authorize a new issue of notes and bonds," passed
by the Confederate Congress on February 17, 1864. This act provided that all
treasury notes of one-hundred-dollar denomination would cease to be receivable
west of the Mississippi in payment of public debts after July 1, 1864. The act also
stipulated that five-dollar notes would cease to be receivable west of the river after
October 1, 1864. See James M. Matthews (ed.), Public Laws of the Confederate
States of America (Richmond, 1864), Ist Congress, IV Session, Chapter LXIII.
The problem of the "new issue" runs through the remainder of Pye's letters and
was a matter that perturbed the whole Confederacy. The 'Trans-Mississippi Depart-
ment was a little less rushed in exchanging the issue, and this may be one reason
why western Confederates were able to joke about the new money. On January 25,
1865, the Houston Tri-Weekly Telegraph carried a story, copied from the Confed-
erate News, purporting to be an obituary of Mr. C. S. Old Issue. This venerable
gentleman expired on December 31, 1864, of that fearful disease known as taxation,
according to the report.
The Confederate Congress, on December 29, 1864, passed a law extending the
time of exchange of the old issue to July 1, 1865. See Charles W. Ramsdell (ed.),
Laws and Joint Resolutions of the Last Session of the Confederate Congress,461
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 55, July 1951 - April, 1952, periodical, 1952; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101139/m1/565/: accessed May 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.